The Fire Fish
by lightbender15
Summary: Hiuoko was born in the Fire Nation by her captured Water Tribe Mom and Fire Admiral father. When her Mom is taken from her, she runs off to the Northern Water Tribe. After surviving the siege, she travels back to the Fire Nation, seeking revenge.
1. When The Fire Nation Attacked

Chapter 1: When the Fire Nation Attacked

"Sifu Hiuoko, is this right?" the little girl asked, attempting to perform the water whip.

"You're so close, Kibou. Just move your hands a bit farther up," I told her, showing her with my hands.

"I did it, Sifu Hiuoko. Look!" the young girl shouted, pointing her head at the translucent whip of water floating in front of her.

"Perfect, Kibou. Okay, that's enough for today class. We'll reconvene here tomorrow, at 8:00 sharp. Don't be late!" I told my class.

Packing up my things, I headed back to my house just outside the canal locks. A load of cargo was coming in, and the guards were questioning the captain of the Earth Kingdom ship. Ever since the damned Fire Nation attacked here, we've been trying to rebuild this place. The Earth Kingdom has generously been sending shipments of food, wood, and other items we need. The waterbenders remaining here that did not go off to help rebuild our sister nation, the Southern Water Tribe, have been reconstructing and repairing the outer walls where the fire balls hit.

I still remember the day the Fire Nation attacked us. The Avatar and his friend had been training under Master Pakku, trying to learn waterbending. His friend was quite adept at the art, while the Avatar didn't take it as seriously. Their other friend, a handsome boy, had been seeing my friend, Yue, who died in the siege. I was never told how she died; all I know is that she died with great honor and saved us all. When the Fire Nation first attacked, I begged Chief Arnook to let me help defend our city. However, he looked at me with disdain, saying that it was my job as a woman to protect the children and other citizens. So, I did what I could, bringing lost children back to their parents, and making sure everyone remained inside. Even though I was a master waterbender, I couldn't fight the Fire Nation, the savage brutal Fire Nation, because I am a woman.

But the most dreadful and frightening part of that day was when I lost the power to waterbend. I had been running around the city, attacking rogue firebenders, when the sky went black. A faint red aura overtook the sky, and the house I was repairing suddenly fell apart. Two Fire Nation soldiers saw me at my moment of weakness and tried to kill me. But they didn't know. No one in all of the Northern Water Tribe knows about my secret weapons. Those two Fire Nation soldiers didn't know what hit them until they saw their own blood soil the crisp white snow. And then, all of a sudden, I saw a fantastic beast rise from the canals. I could've sworn I saw Yue ascending to the moon and the Avatar inside that majestic beast, but I couldn't be sure. In an instant, the Fire Nation ships were drowned and driven back and the sky was glistening again.

The next day, our city bade the Avatar and friends farewell. His male friend looked like the whole world collapsed on top of him, and Master Pakku gave the Avatar and his female companion some waterbending scrolls. And with that, they took off. Master Pakku decided to round up some healers and other waterbenders to go give aid to the South Pole. Once the benders had left, it was time to start repairing the city. Apparently, Chief Arnook forgot his sexist prejudices and gave me a task. After seeing how brutal the Fire Nation was, he decided that the girls of our city would need to learn how to defend themselves, and I was made their teacher.

Chief Arnook said that he would advertise this to the girls and that he would assemble a class within a week. I was relieved, because I wasn't emotionally stable at the moment. Just when I think I could escape the Fire Nation, they somehow manage to find me. I lived for fourteen years in the Fire Nation; hell, I was born into the Fire Nation. But that doesn't matter, because I feel no affection whatsoever towards them. I hate everything about them, which is maybe why I brutally killed those two soldiers. But after what the Fire Nation did to me, after what they did to my mother, I feel absolutely no regret.


	2. The Loss

Chapter 2: The Loss

When I first came upon the Northern Water Tribe, I had no idea what to tell the natives. Did I tell them I was Fire Nation? Did I tell them I was Fire Nation royalty? No, I said, I would not. The reason I ran away from the Fire Nation was because I hated them, and therefore, I needed to shed every sign of my Fire Nation heritage. I put my dark brown hair into two buns which rest on the top of my head. I sold my royal garb and bought a long Water Tribe coat, a pair of pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a pair of fur boots.

People often ask me what I did before I came here; since I'm only seventeen years old, they ask where my parents are. It took me awhile before I told them the truth, because I was afraid I wouldn't be accepted. They thought I was from the Southern Water Tribe, since I am a waterbender, and if I wasn't from here, where else could I be from. But they couldn't imagine what I had been through.

I was born in the Fire Nation Capital seventeen years ago. My mother, Mizu, was a captured Southern Water Tribe peasant who was brought into the Fire Nation by my father, Mujou. He's an admiral for the Fire Nation and had been sent to the Southern Water Tribe to round up some waterbenders. He took a liking to my mother, and when he returned to the Fire Nation, he made a request to Fire Lord Ozai. He wanted to marry her, but naturally, she wanted nothing to do with it. However, she realized that if she didn't do it willingly, she would be forced to and possibly harmed. So, they got married and had a child, me, whom they named Hiouko.

Since my mom was a waterbender and my father a firebender, they knew I would be either one. While I was growing up, they would pay close attention to see which element I could control. After six years of showing no signs, they gave up on me. One day though, I was feeding some turtle ducks with my mom, when a small geyser erupted in the middle of the pond. My mom hugged me and told me I was a waterbender. She said it would be best if father never knew, and she began to train me. A year later, my father found out about our training, and he screamed at my mother that if she taught me anything else, she would be killed. My mom said she would cease, never looking him in the eye.

But my mom didn't stop teaching me. For three years, she continued to teach me in secret. My father was off at seas for long periods during war, and she would teach me fervently then. I became a master at age ten. I never knew why my mom pushed me so hard, but she said that if I didn't learn now, I never would. She was right. My father came home a month early from one of his assignments and found my mom teaching me bending. She saw him; she grabbed me and started to run. I didn't know what was happening, but my mom told me that whatever happened to never stop waterbending. She brought me to a guard and told him to watch over me as she ran over to face my father. I never saw my mother again.


	3. The Way of the Sai

Chapter 3: The Way of the Sai

The next day, my father knocked on my door, asking to come in. I didn't even want to look at him, much less talk to him. When I didn't answer, he knocked down the door with his foot. I immediately turned around, and focusing with all my might, I began to control him like a puppet; in an instant, he fell to the floor. I threatened to take every ounce of water out of his body and leave him dead like a shriveled prune if he didn't tell me where my mom was.

My father looked up at me and said, "Hiuoko, you have no idea. Your mom was a captured Southern waterbender, and I took her into my home. I saved her from a life of captivity and gave her a life of luxury, on one condition: she would not waterbend anymore or teach our child waterbending. She reluctantly agreed, and we had you. Your mother went against this deal, and in order to save her, I arrested her and threw her in jail. It was better than what would've happened to her if someone had caught her. I did it, because I cared for her. And you must not ever waterbend again, it is dangerous here."

"Then, why did you mate with my mother?" I asked. "Why would you put her through that if she couldn't waterbend?"

"Because I took a liking for her, and I wanted to save her from captivity. Look, Hiuoko, I know you're disappointed, because you can't waterbend. However, I intend to make it up to you. I want you to be able to protect yourself, and because of that, I am going to give you something special. So, if you please, can you let me up?"

I let go of my father but kept my guard up. He left my room and came back five minutes later with a silver chest. He handed it to me, and I opened it up. Inside was a pair of sai. "They're all yours," he said to me. "I will teach you how to use these weapons to make up for your waterbending." I didn't know whether to say thank you or not. I just nodded my head as I took the sai. Then, I grabbed my things and headed off to The Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girls.

For the next three years, my father trained me in the way of the sai. I soon became quite adept at this art, as I was able to fight my father to a standstill. My father became kinder to me. Maybe he did love me, and maybe he was trying to protect my mother, I thought. I never forgot about waterbending; I would still practice late at night, gathering water from the plants in the garden and practicing shaping it to my liking. I also became quite athletic, since a major class in the Fire Nation Academy was agility. I was best in my class, except for this one girl with a long braid. She could do flips and turns I didn't think humanly possible. It was almost like she was airbending. But, there go my eyes again.

You may think that during this long stretch of time, I forgot about my mother. I never forgot her. Everyday, I longed to go see her in prison, but I knew it was to no avail. The prisons are heavily guarded, and they wouldn't let anyone into the POW cells, where my mother remained. But one day, when I was fourteen, I overheard my teacher saying how they were going to get rid of some of the prisoners, since their amount of POWs was piling up. Immediately, I became deathly worried for my mother's safety, and that night I decided to sneak in. That night was the night that changed my life.

That night, I never went home. Instead, after school ended, I snuck off to the Fire Nation prison. I hung around until the sun set, and then, I proceeded into the enclosure. Freezing water inside the cracks on the side of a wall, I was able to break the rock and enter the prison. Stealthily, I searched every square inch of the prison, looking for my mother. Any guard I encountered, I immediately knocked out my inducing a heart attack in him. After three hours of searching and questioning prisoners, I could find no trace of my mother. I decided the best thing for me to do was to confront the head guard. Shielding my face with an ice mask (I learned from my mother to always keep a flask of water at my side), I threw the guard against a wall and put a sai against his throat.

"Where are you keeping, Mizu, Admiral Mijou's wife?" I said demandingly to the guard.

"Wh-wha-what are you talking about? Mizu never went to jail; she was found dead after trying to fight Mijou off."

I dropped the guard on the floor as my ice mask broke off. My heart felt as if it would stop. My mother was dead, I just couldn't comprehend. I ran away from the prison, running as fast as I could. Every guard I encountered had blood coming out of their hands, as they were screaming in pain. I guess I was doing this, but I didn't care. The Fire Nation meant nothing to me anymore; I didn't care what happened to them. And to think my father cared for me, he was just covering something up.

I didn't stop running until I got to my house. My father was in the living room, waiting for me to come home. "Where have you been?" he sternly asked me. I didn't answer him. Instead, I thrust my arms out, and my father collapsed on the floor.

"You monster!" I shouted at him, as I took out my sai and stabbed him in the stomach. I then kicked his body and the left my house and the Fire Nation with just my sai, my flask, and the clothes on my back.


	4. Revenge

Chapter 4: Revenge

I knew I didn't have much time before the whole Fire Nation knew about my father. After about ten minutes, the adrenaline died down, and I realized that I needed to think. The army would realize my father was severely injured any moment; I didn't stab his stomach, which would've killed him. I realized that I didn't have any money or extra clothes; if I ever was to get out of the Fire Nation and move somewhere else, I would need cash.

I ran back to my house and kicked open the door. My father was still lying on the floor. He cried my name, but I ignored him. Knocking down the door to my father's room, I stole a sufficient amount of money and grabbed some clothes. When I was heading for the door, my father called me over.

"How could you kill my mother?" I asked him, sobbing. "And then, you try to cover it up?"

"Hiuoko, listen. I didn't mean to kill your mother. It was just…accidental. I was caught in the heat of the moment, just like you were a few moments ago. You've made your point, and it's your decision whether to run away or not. But, could you at least heal my wounds, at least to stop the blood?"

Reluctantly, I knelt down and started to heal the wounds. After about five minutes, I heard voices outside. All of a sudden, a group of five soldiers, face masks and all, knocked down our door. In a matter of seconds, I was grabbed, handcuffed, and carried away from my house. I called to my father for help, but he was getting aided by some old women. And he was smiling.

I wasn't able to bend, because my hands and legs were tied together. I tried bending with my mind, but it was to no avail. In ten minutes, we arrived at the prison, the same one I broke into an hour ago. The guards remembered me and were more than happy to throw me in jail. My hands and feet were tied together with thick ropes to prevent me from bending. My cell contained nothing, and it was filthy.

I was so exhausted that I didn't even think about escaping. I went straight to bed and was woken up the next morning to a rattling of my cage. A guard was standing there with a plate of food. He put it on the floor of my cell, without giving me any utensils. Starving, I dug my face into it and consumed every morsel. As I looked around, none of the other waterbenders had their hands and feet tied. I sat there thinking, trying to figure out a way to escape. If only I could get my hands free, the rest would be a piece of cake.

Later that day, my father came to "visit" me. I couldn't even look at him as he spoke to me.

"Hello, Hiuoko. Do you see what attacking a Fire Nation Admiral gets you? It gets you a comfy cell in prison. There's no hope of escaping. Dry air is pumped in here all the time, and since you apparently can control body fluids, your hands will remain bound at all times. Pretty soon, you'll lose use of your hands and feet, and you will slowly deteriorate. At least Mizu didn't have to suffer. She was killed on the spot."

"Don't you EVER speak about her!" I shrieked. "She could've KILLED you, but she spared you. Just like me."

"But you see, that's exactly what I was trying to rid you of. Would you like to know why I started capturing waterbenders. It's because I hated them: their peaceful ways, their better element, their ability to heal. They had the easy life, and they were easy to conquer. I tried to get rid of that in you; that's why I forbade your mother to teach you waterbending, but she did and that's why I needed to kill her. To counter what Mizu had taught you, I tried to teach you a violent art, the way of the sai, so you would become Fire Nation material. But still, you spared me and continued to use waterbending. You are a failure to me, and I had every right to turn you in. I knew the soldiers were coming, and I needed to stall you."

I had no idea what to say; I was at a loss for words. So my father used my mom as eye candy, as something to look at. Why did I ever spare him? One blow to the heart and he would've died.

"Well then you better get going, Mijou, before I break out and kill you," I responded. My father laughed and walked away.

As soon as he left, I decided on a way to escape. I could use my sweat and saw through the rope. Then, with one hand free, I could bend water and cut my other bonds free. So, by wiggling my fingers, I managed to make a small water whip and began cutting through the rope. It took about an hour, but it finally fell off. Then, I began to do pushups until I was sweating bullets. I then used the sweat to cut through my other bonds; I was now free. Then, I used all of this sweat to saw through the metal cell. After about fifteen minutes of sawing, I was finally free. Before I escaped the prison, I needed to get my sai, which were probably being given back to my father, along with the rest of my things.

Exiting my cell, I began to head for the main guard, for he had to know where my sai were. Running down the hallway, I saw two guards. Before they could scream, I stopped the flow of their blood to their heart, inducing a heart attack. This was only for a second, though, and was only done to stun not kill. I did this a few more times until I reached the main guard's office. I bust in, threw him to the floor, and made his hand bleed by pushing the blood through the pores of his skin. I demanded to know where my things were, and he told me my father had them. Kicking him, I bolted out of the room and made my way out of the prison. Everyone knew in the prison that I had escaped, which meant that I didn't have time to chat with my father. Instead, while running to my house, I bent a large amount of water from a pond to my side. When I reached my house, I threw the water onto my father and froze it, leaving him there. I grabbed my sai which were on the table and shoved my extra clothes in a bag. I then ran out of the house as my father watched in disbelief, unable to stop me.


	5. Flight and Fight

Chapter 5: Flight and Fight

Even though I had no specific destination in mind, I knew I needed to get out of the Fire Nation as quickly as possible. Since I attacked an important admiral, the whole Fire Nation army would be on me soon if I didn't escape. I needed somewhere to stop and think-to plan out what I was going to do next. However, at the moment, I was on the run. Speeding through the district, I knocked people out of my way as I ran for my life. When I finally got to the end of the capital city, I made a huge water ramp from a lake nearby over the volcanic wall separating the capital city from the rest of the Fire Nation. I ran up the ramp, jumped over the volcanic wall, and bent the water back to my side.

In the distance, I could see some Fire Nation soldiers approaching from an army base to the east. The ship building city was up ahead, to my north, and I decided that I needed to head there to hide. Using the large amount of water I accumulated from the lake, I made a large float, hopped on, and bended my way towards the city. The soldiers must have seen me, because I heard a loud ruckus erupt and fireballs soar towards me. They never reached me, but they were getting closer. They finally realized I was heading towards the ship city and began to head there. Looking behind me, I noticed that the Fire Nation also dispatched a battalion of about 500 soldiers to capture me. Who knew that stabbing my father and breaking out of prison could get this many people on you?

Five minutes later, I finally arrived at the shipyard city. I decided the best thing to do was to fight, and I hopped off my float to attack the five soldiers waiting for me. Immediately, I turned the float back into water and swung it in front of me to absorb the fireballs being thrown at me. Airborne, I then froze this shield and sent ice spikes down towards the soldiers. These were the same people who killed my mother and I wasn't going to show any mercy. One spike stabbed a soldier in the foot, which caused him to keel on the floor in pain. The other four dodged the spikes and sent a barrage of fire streams at me. Before I could unfreeze the water, the blasts hit, the wall exploded, and I fell onto the ground, bruising my hip. Quickly, I covered my body in a high pressure water shield to protect against the fiery onslaught the soldiers unleashed on me. I noticed the battalion was now only about half-mile away, and I decided I needed to end this battle. Jumping up, I sent high pressure jets of water at the soldiers, causing them to fall over. One didn't fall and was rather persistent to fight. Before he could do anything else, I took out my sai and made a quick slash to his back; he fell just as hard as the others. I then encased their bodies in just enough ice to hold them where they were. With the battalion only a quarter mile away, I dashed into the city.

The shipyard city is home to many of the war factories of the Fire Nation. All the large ships and weapons are built here and picked up at the city's harbor. Since the city is mostly home to factory workers and their families, the city is not the safest. It is home to large amount of thieves, murderers, and assassins. When I was little, I heard a story about an assassin who could make things explode with his mind, however, no one knows his name. Allegedly, he is the lead criminal in the city and takes only the most important hits. Entering the city, I was sure to be on my toes.

After stealthily maneuvering through the shipyards and knocking out a few rowdy lowlifes, I finally reached the city. It was rather small; there were definitely not enough people for a city. After putting my hair up into two buns on the top of my head (previously, I wore my hair long with a top knot) and changing my outfit, I headed to the general store in the city. Hastily, I looked for a map, for I needed one if I was to get anywhere. The owner snidely asked me if I was looking for something.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a map. You got any?" I asked, trying to fit in with the crowd.

"We got a few, sweetie. What kind are you looking for?" the owner responded, with a snide smile.

"Well, preferably one of the world, but I'll settle for one of the Fire Nation."

"Oh, a traveler, I see. Where you headed little lady? You got any money on you?" the owner said, showing me a knife.

"Look, fellow Hotman," I said sarcastically, as I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and shoved the butt of my sai against his stomach, "I don't have time for this small talk. I've got money, and you've got a map. So, show me the map and I'll show you the money."

"Whoah there, did your mother teach you to speak to your elders like that? Try saying please."

And that finally set me off. I punched him in his face and kicked him back, as I grabbed a map behind the counter of the whole world. Throwing a few coins in his face, I exited the general store. Realizing that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, I put the map in my bag and headed towards the harbor. Halfway down the street, I turned around to see if anyone was following me; that was when my heart almost stopped. A few soldiers were talking to the shop owner while some were on the other street; others were interrogating the men and women, asking if they had seen me, I'm sure. I quickly turned around and dashed for the harbor. At the end of the street, some Fire Nation soldiers spotted me and shouted to the others. In a matter of seconds, as I ran down the street, the whole battalion ran towards me, shooting fireballs left and right. About one hundred feet from the harbor, I knew I would be safe if I could get there. Taking water from jugs and pots as I ran, I threw it at the oncoming battalion. This bought me a few seconds, but they kept coming. When I was finally close enough to bend the water, I bent some to me and hopped on a float I crafted. I then flew towards the water and splashed some water onto the ground in front of the oncoming battalion, which I then froze. As the soldiers lost their footing, I stimulated a giant wave and rode it away from the angry soldiers.


	6. The Nightmare

Chapter 6: The Nightmare

When I was sure I was far away from the Fire Nation battalion, I stopped riding the wave, froze some water, and just lied down upon it. I didn't realize how tired I actually was until my adrenaline stopped pumping. I realized I had no idea what I was doing, and that if I was ever going to survive, I needed a plan. So, I got my map out of the bag on my back and examined it. I tried to figure out which place would be best for me to go and which was most reasonable. I definitely needed to get out of the Fire Nation, and the faster I escaped, the more of a chance I had at surviving. If I traveled all day for two days and took a break each night at a town, I could reach the Earth Kingdom in no time. However the question was what to do after I escaped this wretched place? I could go to Omashu or Ba Sing Se, but the Earth Kingdom wasn't really appetizing to me. My home was the Water Tribes, and I decided that's where I wanted to go. Obviously, the Southern Tribe was decimated but the Northern was functioning perfectly; they even managed to avoid war for 100 years. That's where I was going to be headed, to the Northern Water Tribe.

I concluded that if I powered forward all day on my wave today, I could make it to Jang Hui, a small fishing village that the Fire Nation doesn't care about. It was quiet and largely uneventful, so I could stay there the night without getting caught. Even if I was discovered, the village is on top of the sea, so I could easily escape with waterbending. With that in mind, I steamed forward towards Jang Hui.

After about an hour of traveling, I just could not waterbend any longer. My arms were so tired, and I needed a good rest. So, I froze some water, put on my extra clothes, and took a nap for a little bit. Then, the nightmares started.

_I was with my mother by a pond practicing waterbending. We were practicing a new technique, one which involved taking the water out of the air and plants. It was quite a difficult thing to learn, however, my mother was a great teacher. _

_Suddenly, my father appeared out of nowhere and started shooting streams of fire at me and my mother. I stood still, watching as my mother fought back with a shield of water. I wanted to help, but I was frozen in place. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. My mother fell back, crying "Help me, Hiuoko!" However, I couldn't move, and I stood there watching my mother fight for her life. Suddenly, it wasn't just my father attacking, but everyone in the Fire Nation attacking. Villagers had joined in with pitchforks, cheering my father on as he fought my mother. Soldiers came marching from the palace and joined the fight. I couldn't take it anymore; I screamed and everyone fell down, dead. Their hands were bleeding profusely, and I was standing in a pool of blood. "Hiuoko, help me," my mother said, but I couldn't, for I was still frozen in place. _

All of a sudden, I woke up sweating and heaving. This wasn't the first time I had a dream like this, but it was the first to make me think. Could I have stopped my mother's death? I was already a master, why couldn't I have done something, I thought sobbing. I could've saved her life and killed my father. Why didn't kill him when I had the chance? Why did I let him go? He was right, compassion gets you nowhere in life. Why was my mother captured? What did she ever do wrong? What did the Air Nomads do wrong, that they were brutally murdered? Nothing, but the Fire Nation slaughtered them all.

All these thoughts raced through my head as I finally had a chance to think. I realized what I had been through, and I realized how much pain it brought me. Then it hit me. Everything was caused by the Fire Nation. All the trouble in the world was caused by this brutal nation. They kidnapped people, tortured them, kill them, and they did nothing to them. Why did the Fire Nation do this? I was always taught it was because we were the better nation, because we needed to expand our power. But we really didn't; we were powerful enough. My heart filled with rage and anger as I thought about how much trouble the Fire Nation caused everyone, how much trouble they caused me. They took my mother, and eventually they were going to pay for their actions. I promised myself I would never let anyone die before me; I wasn't going to lose anyone in my life again. I also promised to be meaner, shrewder, and more unforgiving. Apparently, violence effectively solved all the problems I had in life, much better than kindness ever had. I promised to be strong in this world and to one day seek revenge on the Fire Nation, especially my father. Once he sees me, the blood will be pouring out of his mouth so quickly he won't even have time to say hello.


	7. Jang Hui

Chapter 7: Jang Hui

The next day, I finally made it to the village of Jang Hui. There was a huge Fire Nation factory near the village, pumping out steam into the air and waste into the village. As I got closer to the village, I steered my small wave toward the pier, so I could walk calmly into the village. I noticed that the village was pretty depressed; the factory must have been making everyone sick. This was yet the Fire Nation at work again, destroying innocent people's lives. However, this was their own people they were destroying, so I wasn't the only one.

When I finally made it to the village, I realized that this was a truly remarkable place. Floating houseboats were connected by bridges, and the people literally lived along the water. Since no one had seen me enter the village, I decided that this would in fact be a good place to spend the night. I proceeded further into the village looking for a place to stay. Everyone was staring at me, since I was obviously a new person to their small village. They were all sickly looking and pale, obviously a result of the factory. I felt so bad for them, since there was nothing that could be done; none of them were even firebenders. Since I couldn't see any obvious inn, I headed to a food stand to ask the clerk about the town.

"Hello there, young lady. I haven't seen you here in Jang Hui. Did my brother bring you in?" the clerk asked.

"Umm, yeah he did. In fact, he looked an awfully lot like you," I responded, trying to figure out if this guy was insane.

"Really, I've heard many people say that. What can I do for you?"

"Do you have a place to stay the night? I'll be leaving next morning, so it'll only be one night."

"You know, I'm not sure. Let me ask my other brother," the guy said, as he ducked under his stand. He then reappeared with a hat on his head.

"Hello, I'm head of the inn here at Jang Hui. What can I do for you?"

"You're kidding me. You're the same guy as before, you nut!" I responded, as I stared at the guy.

"No-no, I'm his brother. Now, what can I do for you?"

"No you're not. You're the SAME PERSON!" I screamed. "You know what I want, so tell me!"

"Well, how would I know, you never told me!" the whacko responded innocently.

Infuriated, I put my hands on the sai in my holsters and pressed the sai against his chest.

"GIVE ME A PLACE TO STAY BEFORE I SLICE YOU FINGERS OFF!" I screamed. The villagers stared at me like I was a nutcase. Then, a little boy approached me.

"Uh, excuse me, Mam. My name is Nengoro. Don't get worked up over Xu, he's pretty crazy. Look, I know you were looking for a place to stay tonight, and well, you can stay at my place. It may be small, but we can fit you in," the little boy said, twitching his thumbs.

"Oh, thank you, Nengoro. I'd be honored to stay at your house. Sorry about getting worked up; you shouldn't have to see me like that," I responded.

Nengoro motioned me to follow him, and so I did. We walked a little bit until we arrived at a small little houseboat on the edge of the town. He showed me the inside of the house, which consisted of a small living room with two beds, a kitchen, and a small room with a hole in the floor for an outhouse. His mother lied on the couch; she was a middle-aged woman who appeared to be very sick.

"You can sleep on the floor, over here," Nengoro said, showing me an area near the small kitchen. "We can get out some extra blankets and pillows for you."

"Thank you so much Nengoro. You're so kind. Tell me, what's wrong with your mother? Is she all-right? And where is your father?"

"Well, my father went off to war to fight in the Fire Nation. He went off two years ago, but I don't know how he is. Mom is pretty sick; she keeps coughing and is very hot. The water really isn't too safe to drink around here; what we really need are some waterbenders."

"Really," I said, holding back tears. "I'm so sorry, Nengoro."

"Don't worry, it's not your fault. Here, why don't we go get some food, so we can have some dinner tonight."

As Nengoro showed me around Jang Hui, getting food and socializing, I realized how depressed this town was. Everyone was poor and sick, and the food was very poor. If I wasn't on the run from the Fire Nation, I would've stayed to help these people, however, I needed to get out of the Fire Nation. Seeing Nengoro so happy during this time really made me think. How could he be so happy when his father is probably dead and his mother is very ill? He was one of the strongest people I knew, and he touched a place in my heart. I decided that I wasn't going to let Nengoro live like this or the other people of this village.

That night, after having an odd dinner with Nengoro, I decided to make a difference. I snuck out of the house and went around to every house in Jang Hui. I healed the sick and purified the water they had in jugs. To make sure I wasn't caught, I used some of Nengoro's mom's old clothes and makeup. I healed her last and finally went back to sleep.

The next day, the whole town was rejoicing. Everyone was healed, and their water was purified. Thank goodness no one discovered I did it, and I joined in the celebrations. Nengoro was so happy to have his mother healed, and that made my day. However, the celebrations were cut short when some Fire Nation admirals stopped by the village. Immediately, I ducked into the crowd and asked Nengoro what was going on.

"You don't know? Every week, the Fire Nation from the factory come here and take our good food and medicine. They send it to the soldiers at war and leave us with nothing. That is why so many of our people are sick."

Anger boiled inside of me, as the brutal image of a savage Fire Nation came back to me. I completely forgot I was the top-wanted criminal, which was a pretty stupid thing to do.

"You will not harm these people in any way!" I shouted at them, stepping forward in front of the crowd.

"Ha! Silly girl, stop speaking before you are killed. The people are in for a special treat today. We are starting a new policy; every month, we are going to take a young boy from this village and enlist him in the army. And today, we are going to take…him!" an admiral shouted, pointing at Nengoro. Immediately, the admirals rushed towards him, grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, and dragged him with them.

"Help, help!" he screamed, as tears rushed down his face. "Anybody please!"

I couldn't take it anymore; the anger was just too great. I thrust my arms out, and the Fire Nation admirals fell to the ground. Nengoro ran free from them back to his mother. That should've been all I did, but I went further. Sweeping up water from the ocean, I knocked the admirals into the sea. I made sure they sunk far down into the ocean, before I finally let go. I could sea air bubbles rising to the surface, and I knew they were dying. That's what they get for trying to take Nengoro.

"Stop, stop! We don't want to stoop to their level!" a woman shouted from the crowd.

Deciding she was right, I thrust them upwards at rocket speed and back onto the mainland. Their eyes, ears, and lungs had definitely suffered a lot of damage, but they were still alive.

"Don't ever try to do that again," I shouted at them, "or I will not let you live."

"It's-it's-it's the," an admiral gasped, trying to reach for air, "that girl-w-we-were loo-looki-looking for."

"You bet it is. It is I, Hiuoko! Don't you ever try to mess with me again, just like you messed with my mother!"

The people of Jang Hui didn't know whether to clap or back away. Most did just that, but then, Nengoro ran up to me and gave me a hug. Erupting in tears, I told him I was sorry for what I had done. He nodded his head and with his eyes, signaled that he forgave me. I told him that I would be back and make sure he and his mother were all right. Then, I got my bags and jumped on a water wave I concocted and rode away from Jang Hui.


	8. Hubris

Chapter 8: Hubris

After I was clear of Jang Hui, I "docked" at the mountains facing the houseboat town and planned my next location. It had to be somewhere secluded, close to the water, and on the way to the Northern Water Tribes. I found a small little village, Makapu, which seemed to fit those requirements. Packing up my map and taking one last look at Jang Hui, I descended the mountain and set off to Makapu.

It took me two whole days to get to the village. On the first night, I stayed at a little island not too far from the main land. After taking the salt out of the water and the innards out of some fish, I started a fire and had a nice fish and water dinner. Luckily, the Fire Nation had yet to capture me. Then, I thought back to my fight against them at Jang Hui. I almost killed those soldiers; I probably would have if the townsfolk hadn't stopped me. Why did I go so far? Did the Fire Nation really deserve that kind of hate? Yes, they did, after what they did to my mother and what they were going to do to Nengoro? What had he ever done to them? Absolutely nothing, but they were going to put him on the front-line to die. But I don't have to worry, especially since I'll be able to bend freely without anyone caring once I reach the Earth Kingdom.

The next morning, I bended my usual small traveling wave and set sail towards Makapu. It didn't take too long to get to shore, but it was a pain to navigate through the forest. Knowing that it would be safe to waterbend, I created a water whip to act as a machete and cut through the deep brush. By midday, I finally got to the village of Makapu. It's seated at the foot of a volcano and is fairly large. Actually, it's a rather nice village, and I actually thought of staying there. Quickly, I told myself that I was headed towards the Northern Water Tribes, and tonight was only a layover. With that in mind, I proceeded into the village and asked someone where the local inn was. He pointed me towards the center of the village and that's where I headed.

When I arrived at the inn, I told the woman that I needed one room for the night. Unlike the guy at Jang Hui, this woman was not a whacko, and she kindly gave me a room on the first floor. The room was rather quaint, with a small bed, a chest of drawers, a table, a chair, and some tea flowers. Once I unpacked my things, I decided to explore the town. As I exited the inn, I asked the woman at the front desk about the town.

"Oh, if you're only going to be in Makapu one day, there's only one you must do. You must get your fortune told by Aunt Wu! She has never been wrong to date and is the reason our town is still surviving!"

"So, you're telling me that this woman can predict the future. Is that even possible?" I asked, skeptically.

"Aunt Wu has never been wrong to date. For example, today she informed me that I would have a skeptical traveler question her abilities. She said the person would be quite temperamental. Are you temperamental?" the woman inquired.

"I AM NOT CRAZY, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK!" I blurted out without thinking. "Oh my, I'm so sorry."

"It's quite all-right," the innkeeper responded. "She said you might erupt in a fit of despair and anguish. Maybe you should get some sleep first."

I told her that would not be necessary, and I proceeded out of the inn. I faintly heard the woman say something about Fire Nation and safety, however, I didn't bother to listen. As I walked around Makapu, I noticed something and almost died. Two Fire Nation soldiers were on a bench having something to drink. I grabbed some man off the street and asked him why the Fire Nation was here.

"Well, they don't normally come here, but Aunt Wu predicted some would come today. However, she didn't say that they would be violet, and therefore, we have nothing to worry about."

Becoming quite nervous, I walked anxiously past the Fire Nation soldiers, hoping they wouldn't recognize me. One of them whistled as I walked by, and the other said, "hey baby, why don't you come over here and light my fire."

"That girl, over there?" the one who whistled at me asked. "Why she's probably a filthy little who-!"

I didn't let him finish his sentence. I took water out of some jugs near a house and threw it on the guy. The second soldier looked in shock at me and immediately took action. He shot some fire blasts at me, which I easily blocked with a water shield. I then created some ice spikes and threw them at the soldiers. I hit both of them, and they fell to the ground. As I was taunting to them, I felt a sharp pain on my back. I realized it was a burn, and before I could look at it, I fell down. A third Fire Nation soldier put his foot on top of me, grinning with delight.

"You know, girlie, we probably never would've known you were here if your hubris wasn't as big as a Hippocow, you probably wouldn't be in this predicament right now!"

As I was being dragged away, I thought about what he had said. But it wasn't my ego he was talking about, it was my temperament. If I had been more patient, I could've passed without a problem. I could definitely escape, but not now, while my back was killing me, I could not escape. If I didn't find a way out soon, I would be back in the Fire Nation, and my chances of escaping would be slim to none.


	9. At the Gates

Chapter 9: At the Gates

I had no idea where the brutes were taking me. I was bound to a board the soldiers were dragging, and I was unable to do any complicated sort of bending. Once I healed my back, I could bust out of wherever they were taking me and travel all the way to the Northern Water Tribe. However, I would need to stop in Makapu for a minute to retrieve my items at the inn; without my map or thicker clothes, there was no way I could safely make it to the Northern Water Tribe. As I fiddled with my binds, I heard the soldiers talking.

"What are we going to do with her? You've heard how powerful she is."

"We're going to bring her aboard this ship and keep her bound to that board. As long as she's tied up, she can't bend."

"So, are we going to sail back to the Fire Nation or wait around?"

"We have no choice but to wait. I already sent a messenger hawk to the general. It's not like we were even assigned to capture her. We don't have the proper necessities to keep her at bay. Our ship was designed for transport, not for keeping prisoners. Don't worry, though. The general will be here in two days to take her into custody."

So, I had two days to escape the ship they were going to keep me in. I decided not to do anything until we were finally aboard the ship. The guy wasn't kidding; it really wasn't designed for prisoners. These savages that captured me were the only guys aboard the ship; it could only hold about five people. I guess the soldiers were sent to Makapu to check up on the village, which would explain why they had such a small ship. I was placed inside a closet, still bound to a board. With my arms and feet bound, there was no way I could draw water out of the air; my only hope was to find some water near me. I could try and sweat, but there was no way for me to do anything that would cause me to sweat.

An hour past, and I decided I could trick the guards into giving me something to drink. I could hold it in my mouth and then bend it after he left. This seemed like a good plan, so I immediately put it into action. I screamed inside the closet, and one of the soldiers rushed to me.

"What in Agni's name is going on here?" he shouted.

"I need something to drink," I replied, innocently. "My throat is rather parched. I can't bend with my feet bound, so you really have nothing to worry about."

"Fine," he replied, as he went off to get me a cup of water. He came back, kicked me in the leg, and threw the water down my throat, making sure I swallowed everything. He then left and locked me in the closet again.

Another hour past, and I realized I needed another plan to get out. Suddenly, something came to me; I could bend my own tears. However, I needed something to make me cry. I thought of my mother: her gentle nature, her heroic traits, her brutal slaughter. Immediately, tears began dripping down my face. I continued to cry until I ad enough tears to bend. Wiggling my fingers, I bent some tears into a little saw and began to saw at my ropes. These were really thick, and it took me fifteen minutes just to cut through the first rope. With my arm free, I drew some water out of the air and made a bigger saw, as I sawed through the second rope. With both arms free, I was able to easily cut through the ropes binding my legs.

Now that I was free, I used the water to heal my back. To make sure I was in the best of shape, I kept the water running over my back for about fifteen minutes. Now, I was ready to escape. But I didn't want it to be a traditional escape, with me charging at the soldiers and bending their blood, so they fall to the floor. I plotted a stealthy escape, one that would be executed in complete silence.

I screamed loudly inside of the closet, and the firebending soldier came rushing over to me. Kneeling down, I stabbed his feet and kicked his knees. He quickly toppled over, but I grabbed him and placed him gently on the ground, so he wouldn't make a ruckus. I exited the closet and headed for the deck, where the remaining two soldiers were. To conceal myself, I whipped up a fog storm, much to the soldiers' surprise. Maneuvering through the fog, I stabbed a soldier in the back. Before the last soldier could react, I ensnared him in ice, freezing him in place.

Without skipping a beat, I jumped off the boat and bent a wave that carried me to the harbor. I don't think I killed any soldiers, for I had thought of Nengoro's reaction when I was drowning those soldiers at Jang Hui. When I arrived back at Makapu, I didn't waste any time. I hurried to the inn, grabbed my belongings, paid the innkeeper, and headed through the forest, out of Makapu. I found a river on my map that emptied into the ocean before the Northern Water Tribe and headed there.

For two days, I traveled non-stop down the river. I was speeding up the current, so I made it to the ocean faster. I didn't see anyone on the river, except for this one shabby looking house. I only stopped twice a day: to eat and empty my bladder. Finally, I made it to the ocean. From there, it was not long before I was in front of the grand gates of the Northern Water Tribe.


	10. Misogyny

Chapter 10: Misogyny

As soon as I saw the gates, my heart stopped. Finally, I was at my destination, away from the Fire Nation and my past. However, actually being in front of the two gates made me think some things I hadn't thought about before. Did I tell them I was from the Fire Nation? Would they accept me into the city? Would I be a social outcast? Should I make up my past? Should I hide it? All these thoughts raced through my mind, as I sat on an iceberg a few hundred yards away from the gates. I had put on my thick parka from the Fire Nation; it was quite difficult to find a parka anywhere in the Fire Nation. I decided I would tell the truth to everyone, but only what they needed to know. If by some chance they pressed me so much that I needed to give away my whole past, I would. In this place, I would also have to lose my temperament, or else I would never be allowed to stay. With this in mind, I bent up my usual traveling wave and headed towards my homeland.

When I arrived at the gates of the Northern Water Tribe, I had no idea what to do. Some lock guards saw me and immediately slid down the wall and froze the water around me and inquired about me.

"State your name, nation, and purpose!" the guard barked at me.

"My name is Hiuoko. I am a Fire Nation refugee, and I want to live here," I replied.

"You're Fire Nation, huh. What makes you think you're going to stay here?" the guard laughed.

"Well, first of all, I'm a waterbender," I replied, unfreezing the water around me and froze the water beneath me so I could stand, "and if that isn't enough proof for you, look at my eyes."

The guard, awestruck, looked into my eyes. His even more shocked look told me that he noticed my blue eyes. My eyes are probably one of my only features that are Water Tribe in origin. Everything else is either Fire Nation or masked by Fire Nation culture.

"Now, may I please proceed into the village, so I can see the chief of this city and get permission to live here."

"NO, no you may not," the guard said, readying a water whip. "You're probably a Fire Nation spy, a captured waterbender working for the Fire Nation. You're a disgrace to our whole tribe, culture, and-!"

I couldn't here any more of it. How dare he call me an insult to this city? All I wanted was to get away from the Fire Nation, and now people treat me like I'm a part of it. Forgetting my whole "quick-temperament" ban, I turned the guard's water whip against him and hit him with it.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A DISGRACE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH?" I shouted at the guard, crying, while entrapping him in a snowy vortex. "THE FIRE NATION KILLED MY MOTHER! MY FATHER TRIED TO KILL ME! ALL I WANTED WAS TO ESCAPE AND FIND A HOME WITH PEOPLE LIKE ME," I screamed, tears flying down my face, as I froze the guard in a huge iceberg. "BUT NOW THAT I'M HERE, I CAN'T COME IN. YOU CALL ME A SPY! YOU'RE A DISGRACE, FOR YOU CAN'T TELL ME APART FROM THE DREADED FIRE NATION!" I had now thrown the iceberg up in the air and threw it into the ocean. I thawed it and sent the guy crashing towards the gates in a giant wave of water, as I tried to control my tears and anger.

"Stop!" someone shouted above me. "Let the girl come in. There's no way a Fire Nation waterbender could learn to bend like that. She's not a spy."

I looked up and saw an old man with a white beard, defending me. As I shook my head in thanks, six more guards came out of nowhere and escorted me into the Northern Water Tribe. They all had pretty frightened looks on their faces, which kind of upset me, since I wanted to blend into the society.

The city was even more magnificent than I could have ever dreamt of. Everything was made of ice, and busy citizens hustled and bustled on the ice sidewalks. Gondolas were riding down the canals, with benders bending the boats. I saw a waterbending class waiting for their teacher to my left; I hoped soon I would gain a position as teacher. That would really be my ideal niche in this society; teaching young girls and boys to harness their waterbending prowess. Turtle seals were swimming in the water, and mini-waterfalls could be found almost anywhere. I had never felt so happy or nostalgic before.

The guards escorted me to a large palace, where another set of guards escorted me inside the palace. I was shown down a corridor to a room where a man busy at work sat on an ice chair.

"This girl wants to become a citizen here. I know this isn't normal, but Master Pakku says hear her case out," one of the guards told me, as he dropped me onto the floor.

"Thank you, Tomo. I'll take it from here," the man at the table sat, finishing writing something down. "Now, tell me about yourself: your name, where you come from, why you suddenly appeared at our doorstep."

"Thank you," I said, as I bowed my head. "My name is Hiuoko, and I come from the Fire Nation capital city. My father was a Fire Nation admiral, and my mother was a captured Southern Water Tribe peasant. When I was seven…" I told him my whole story, from when I discovered my ability to waterbend to my escape from my father all the way to my arrival here. I left out some trivial things, like my time in prison, my sais, my ability to bend liquid in the human body, and stabbing my father. But, I think I gave enough information.

"Wow," the man said, "that is quite some story. Now, from what I've heard, you have some waterbending skills. Care to demonstrate?"

Nodding my head, I took some ice from the floor and bent it into a water whip. Circling the whip around me, I changed it into ice and threw some ice spikes at the man. Before they hit him, I converted them to water vapor, so it brushed the man's parka. I then changed the vapor back to water, pulled it back to me and combined it with some water I had taken from the ice to make a vortex in the air. Finally, I spun the vortex so fast, water went flying everywhere; I then bent the water very fast back into the ice before it did any damage.

"Wow, I'm very impressed," the man said. "Your mom really did teach you a lot of waterbending. Now that I've heard from you, I've decided to let you stay in the village."

My heart jumped half a beat as I flew out my chair.

"However," the man said, "first let me explain to you how we're proceeding from here. We'll have a citizen-initiation ceremony next week at dusk. It is at that time you will get the mark on your head that signifies you are a full citizen of the Northern Water Tribe. Before then, you will attend a class on our history, culture, law, and politics. For now, you will be given a house towards the outskirts of a village; when you have made enough money, you will be able to buy your own house. You'll have to wait here for a little bit while we furnish up your house a bit, though. We will supply you with one long sleeved shirt, one pair of pants, shoes, gloves, and a parka. You will abide by our codes and customs and will be tried as a citizen would. Finally, we need to give you a job. Since you are quite a skilled waterbender, how about a healer/ Are you trained in the art of healing?"

"Yes, my mother taught me the basics of it."

"Good, starting tomorrow, you will report to the healing hut and help teach a healing class. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and one final thing. Here, you are not to use your waterbending to fight or show. Here, the men are the fighters and warriors and women are the healers. Since some women are waterbenders, they are trained in healing, but no fighting. Therefore, you will be forbidden to use any advanced techniques or any fighting techniques. Understood?"

"Wait, WHAT?" I asked, angrily. "So you mean, I can't fight in sparring matches or take any former lessons or create ice bridges?"

"Correct, anything past the water whip is considered an advanced move. You agreed to stick with our customs. It is very uncommon to have a female waterbender who can fight. Therefore, if you want to stay here, you will keep any waterbending aside from healing to a minimum. Now, I have to go fix up your house, so stay put."

As the man walked out of the room, anger swelled inside me. I could kick his ass in waterbending, and he's saying just because I'm a woman, I can't fight. I have to stick to my role in society and be a good lady. But what choice did I have? This was the only safe place from the Fire Nation. If I wanted to stay, I would just have to bite my lip and put on a façade. That didn't mean that I couldn't prove myself first though.


	11. Hope

Chapter 11: Hope

I couldn't believe it. Finally, I was at the North Pole; I had made it to safety, yet I couldn't waterbend. And why was this? Just because I was a woman. How could they think like this? In my mother's nation, women were trained to waterbend to their full capabilities. They could fight, build, and care for the family. That's why mother was caught; because she was fighting the attacking soldiers off. She had told me she knocked out several soldiers before she was finally captured. Why was it so different here?

When the official finally came back, I bit my lip and smiled as he showed me to my home. It wasn't half bad, with a: bed, table, chair, sofa, and various other bits of furniture. He gave me a few more details about the city and my job, and I smiled through the whole thing. After telling me his name, Muchi, he left me alone. Deciding to do a little exploring, I put on my new Water Nation clothing and went out to explore the village. I decided to first go to the healing hut, to see where I would be spending the next few years of my life. There was an old woman inside and a bunch of little girls around her, practicing their healing. They were all waterbenders, yet not one of them was able to fight. Heck, when I was their age, I was perfecting my water whip and octopus form. Wanting to see just how much they really knew, I hung around near the hut, poking my head into different shops, as people stared at me, obviously realizing I was an outsider.

Finally, the class was finished, and the girls came running outside. They couldn't have been more than eight years old, and they obviously knew their way around the village. Stopping one of them, I asked what they had just done.

"You're obviously not from around here, are you?" the girl asked me, tilting her head.

"No, I'm not. Boy, you are sharp. So, I figure I ought to do a little explaining. I've come to live here. See, this is my temporary certificate of citizenship; I'll be getting my real one a week from now. The heads of this village should be announcing that tonight," I replied, showing her my certificate.

"Really, that's interesting. Where did you come from before this? Why'd you decide to move here?" the little girl inquired.

"Wow, you are a curious girl. It's a long story, but I'll let you be surprised at the ceremony next week. But, to give you a little assurance, I'll show you something to hold you over," I replied, bending some snow into a snowman.

"Oh my, you're a waterbender! Where'd you learn how to do that?" the girl asked.

"Really, you guys haven't learned to do that yet. What have you been learning at school? Even if you are healing, you still have to know the basics of waterbending," I asked curiously.

"Well, we learned how to make a water whip and how to push and pull water. That's about it. After we learned how to do that, we started learning how to heal the human body. Today, we started learning how to heal burns and cuts, after spending a long time on learning the pressure points in the body. But it'd be so much cooler to learn how to do that!" the girl responded enthusiastically. "But, we're not allowed to learn that."

"Really, Muchi, some government official, told me that. He thinks that women and girls are inferior to men; but I know that's not true. My mother was one of the most powerful waterbenders alive, and she taught me everything I know. So, listen to me. No matter what anyone tells you, you're not inferior to any man out there. One day, we'll all be able to waterbend freely, without any stupid restrictions, and you can learn how to waterbend to your full potential," I told her, feeling pitiful for her. Even though I was restricted, I still knew the techniques and could use them if I had to yet, she had no idea how to bend something as simple as a snowman. Hopefully, I instilled some hope in her and inspired her to try out some techniques.

"Thanks for your support, Mam. You're a great waterbender. My name's Kibou; I hope to see you soon," the little girl told me.

"Don't worry," I told her. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."


	12. Outcast

Chapter 12: Outcast

The next day, I woke up a little after dawn and prepared for me first day at my new job. I had to be there shortly, so I whipped up a quick breakfast and showered quickly. When I arrived at the healing hut, I was shown to the main healer, Yugoda.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Yugoda, and I am the main healer here by the huts. May I ask your name?" the old woman asked.

"My name's Hiuoko. I'm a new citizen here, and I've been assigned to work here. So, what should I do?" I inquired.

"Well, do you have any experience in healing? I take it you're a waterbender."

"Actually, I do. Well, I never learned the names of the chi paths formally, but I'm quite adept at healing. And yes, I am a waterbender, however, from what I've been told, I'm not allowed to practice my gift here."

"Don't worry, dear, you'll get used to it. I certainly did. But don't bother dwelling on that; let me tell you what you'll be doing. Until you learn the proper nomenclature for the body, you can be an aide to whoever's class you're in. Be sure to learn while you're there though and stop any girl you see fooling around," Yugoda sternly told me.

"Okay, that sounds reasonable. Who will I be aiding today?"

"Today, you'll be with me!" Yugoda said, smiling a wide smile. "My first class is with beginning waterbenders. We'll be teaching them the basics until they know enough to progress to healing."

My eyes widened as I learned we would be doing actual waterbending. In about ten minutes, the little kids came; they couldn't have been more than six. After introducing me to the class, Yugoda motioned them outside, by a canal.

"Today, children, we will be learning how to do a water whip. Hiuoko will be happy to demonstrate to you what this looks like," Yugoda told the children, smiling at me.

Quickly, I drew some water from the nearby canal and performed what I thought was an excellent water whip. However, Yugoda quickly ran in front of me and told the children that, although it was very good, it wasn't proper. She then performed her idea of a water whip, which was, in essence, mine slowed down a whole lot.

"Wait a minute! Yugoda, I don't believe that's the right way to perform a water whip. See, if you slow it down that much, it really defeats the purpose of it!" I told her in a surprised voice.

"Oh my dear, we're not using a water whip to do any harm to anyone! We're using it as practice for controlling water," she responded, coolly.

"But I liked her way better!" a little girl shouted. "It was much cooler!"

"Yeah, Yugoda, her way was much faster!" another girl chirped in.

"Children, quiet down!" Yugoda said, raising her voice. "Hiuoko here is not a native Northern Water Tribe waterbender; I am. Although Hiuoko is very good, she is not a teacher or necessarily correct, therefore, you will do it the way I show you. Understand?"

The children quickly nodded their heads, as I looked at Yugoda in disgust. And I had thought that she might actually support me! However, it seemed that she was already a victim of this patriarchal propaganda the government puts out. Putting on a façade and biting my lip, I preceded throughout the lesson, helping girls perfect the water whip. When class was finally over, I grabbed my things and headed towards the school, so I could learn about Water Nation culture and history. We covered so much material in one day, and the teacher even gave us homework to go along with it! With so much work to do, I set immediately out for home.

When I finally neared my house, I heard a few shouts and noises. Cautiously, I approached my house only to find two boys bending blocks of ice through my walls and wetting the inside. Extremely annoyed, I stormed towards my house screaming at the boys. They saw me and began to run, but I didn't let them. I froze their feet to the ground so they couldn't move. They tried to unfreeze the water using bending, so I tossed them into the air with a spout of water and froze the spout, trapping the two boys [they were frozen from the hip down, so they could still breathe.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing? Don't you EVER try and vandalize my house AGAIN!" I shouted at them, waving my arms. I then dropped them to the ground and told them I wouldn't press any charges as long as they were out of my sight in three seconds. As soon as they left, I made the proper repairs to my house using waterbending and sat down to do my essay on the significance of the moon in Water Nation culture.

The next morning, I awoke at dawn again and proceeded to the huts. However, on my way there, I was stopped by a soldier who told me to come with him. Asking him why, he took my wrist and began to drag me with him. Immediately, I smacked him with a water whip and broke out of his grip. Asking again what he was doing, I was immediately encased in ice by three other soldiers and was told not to move. Unfreezing the ice around my hands, they bound my hands together using a thick rope and told me again to come with them; I complied.

Still not answering my questions about what was going on, the soldiers dragged me to the large palace I had been at two days earlier. I was taken down a large hall and thrown into a cell made of ice. With my hands still bound, I demanded to know what was going on. Now extremely pissed off, I bent some water, sawed through the rope [after being in jail many times, I was quite adept at this, and encased the soldiers from torso down in ice, all while remaining in my jail cell.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" I shouted at them.

"You are to be held here over night for bending out of place and using violence upon two boys," the soldier told me. "If I were you, I'd stay in that cage or risk being exiled from here."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" I shouted. "First off, the boys were DESTROYING my house, and second, I did NOT ASSAULT THEM. I simply froze them in place and told them to leave!"

"Well, that's not what those boys told us. According to them, you threw them into a house and threatened to bend all the water out of their bodies if they didn't leave in one second. Several witnesses have confirmed this. Therefore, you will spend the day in jail for your crime," the soldier said laughing, walking away.

Throwing my fist into a wall of the cell, I screamed with rage. How could they think I did that? What evidence did they have? Many thoughts raced through my mind all the while trying to subdue my anger. I don't know why I didn't just leave the Water Nation then; I probably could've quite easily. Something told me that I should stay and give this wretched place a chance. So, I spent the night in jail, eating the rice and water I was provided with.

Finally, after what seemed forever, I was let out of jail and told to not break the law again, or else the consequences would be more severe. Needing to release my anger, I ran out towards the outskirts of the Northern Water Tribe where some turtle-seals lived. I created several geysers and practiced waterbending techniques, letting out all my anger. After about an hour of sheer practicing where I wasn't noticed, I headed back to my house to make sure everything was in order. When I finally got to my house, I froze in place as I blankly stared at my house and property. On the snow, in front of the house and on the door was written: GO BACK TO THE FIRE NATION! Anger and hatred rushed inside me as my temperature rose. Not knowing what to do with my anger, I simply lay on the ground in front of me and began to cry.


	13. A New Target

Chapter 13: A New Target

After bending the snow in front of my house, erasing the horrible slander written on it, I decided to go "greet" my neighbors. After going inside and thinking for a little bit, I became angry. How in the world did anyone know I came from the Fire Nation? I never divulged that information to anybody and had discarded all of my Fire Nation clothing. The only person I had told was Muchi and that guard who I fought with. Both were likely to tell someone, and word probably got around. Well, I thought to myself, there's no use in dwelling on it. Then, I recalled something from my time in prison.

When the guard told me several witnesses confirmed my alleged crime, I realized that my neighbors must have testified against me. Since there were only two houses near mine, I headed to the nearest one and rapped on the door. An old woman came out with a bowl of hot stew in her hand.

"Hello. Can I help you?" the woman asked me, probabaly wondering what I was doing here.

"I just really came over here to introduce myself. My name is Hiuoko, and I just moved here from a Fire Nation colony where I lived as a refugee," I told the old woman, who looked as if she could care less.

"That's great," she responded, looking back into her house. "My name is Baba. Now, I really should get back to the stew I was making."

"Wait," I said, grabbing her hand, "there is one thing you could help me with. Did you see anyone by my house today?"

"Well, obviously I did. People pass by here everyday," the woman replied, as if I was intellectually inept.

"No, I mean did you see anyone bending the snow in front of my house?" I asked her, pressing for an answer.

"Well, some kids bent the snow out of their way but that's it. Now, I really must be going," she said, closing the door on me.

Wow, she's real nice, I sarcastically thought to myself. She would definitely sell me out to a pack of arctic wolves. So, I'll list her as an enemy in my book. Now, to check on one more neighbor, I thought. I went up to their door and knocked on it a few times. A middle-aged woman came to the door, and her child peaked through the window.

"Hello there. How may I help you today?" the woman asked warmly.

"Oh, I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Hiuoko, and I just moved here from the Fire Nation, where I lived as a refugee," I told her, hoping she wouldn't slam the door in my face.

"Oh, you poor dear. My name is Hoiku, and my son peeking through the window is Mujitsu. I'm very sorry about your imprisonment, dear. I saw you fight those boys off, and I know you were defending your home. However, Baba, the old lady next door, spoke to the soldiers, and from what I heard, it wasn't good. But, in case you were wondering, it was those same boys who wrecked your house that wrote that slander in the snow," Hoiku said sympathetically.

"I thought so," I replied. "I was only bending so they wouldn't destroy my house; I know that's not allowed."

"Sadly, you're right. I'm a waterbender as well, but the only time I ever use it is for cooking and other trivial tasks. You're a great waterbender, but if you want to practice, you'll have to do so in secret. Just out of curiosity, how old are you?" Hoiku asked.

"Currently, I'm fifteen years old," I responded, as Hoiku's face lit up with horror.

"Only fifteen and you're already living by yourself?" Hoiku exclaimed with shock. "Where are your mom and dad? You shouldn't be living alone!"

"That's a story for another day, specifically for my initiation ceremony. But don't worry, you'll learn soon enough. Just know that I've been living on my own for quite a while now," I said, as my eyes began to tear.

"There, there, it's okay," she said, hugging me. "If you ever need anything or help with your studies, since you must be taking a class on Water Tribe history, you just let me know, okay."

Suddenly, I heard something crash inside Hoiku's house, and a loud scream erupted from inside.

"HOIKU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" a loud voice boomed.

"I've got to go," Hoiku said anxiously. "You better get back to your house now. Remember what I said, good-bye."

Hoiku slammed the door in my face, and as I ran away from the house, I heard screams erupting from inside.

"SHE'S JUST A YOUNG GIRL! I WAS TRYING TO HELP HER-AAH!"

"I'LL HIT YOU AGAIN IF YOU TALK LIKE THAT! SHE'S FIRE NATION, AND I FORBID YOU TO HELP HER AT ALL! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

I couldn't take any more of it. I rushed back to Hoiku's house and opened the door. Hoiku had her hand on her face, crying as a man stood in front of her. Mujitsu was crying in a corner, pleading for his parents to stop arguing. The man [I presumed her husband saw me and told me to get out of his house before he killed me. Knowing that if I bent any water near him, I would be exiled from the village, I ran back to my house, tears flowing down my face. I would heal Hoiku later, when her husband was away. Then, I would set her free of her misery.

After seeing that incident, I could barely concentrate at the hut. After failing to form a proper water whip, Yugoda took me over to the side.

"What's wrong dear? Ever since you got here, you've been moping around. What happened?" Yugoda asked gently.

"Well, I met this really nice woman who was helping me and offered to aid me with school, but her husband began to beat her for this and said he would kill me if I didn't leave, and I wanted to kill him, but I couldn't, because waterbenders can't bend here, which I think-"

"Hiuoko, calm down. Take a breath in and let it out. Maybe a nice quick healing session will make you-"

"NO! IT WON'T!" I screamed. "I'm sorry, Yugoda, it's not your fault. It's just--it kills me to see such nice women taken advantage of and suppressed by these despicable men."

"I know it pains you so much. I think I know the woman you're talking about. Hoiku, am I right? She's the sweetest woman, but almost everyone knows her husband, Yasei, beats her when they get into arguments or does something he doesn't approve of," Yugoda said, sighing.

"Then, why did she marry him? Why doesn't anyone do anything?" I cried, heavily sobbing.

"You're a very emotional girl, you know that Hiuoko. Well, I think it's great you're expressing your feelings. To answer your question, Hoiku didn't have a choice. You should've learned in school by now that when a girl turns sixteen, she is married to a pre-arranged husband."

"WHAT! THAT'S RIDICULOUS AND CRUEL AND-"

"Please, Hiuoko, let me finish. So, Hoiku married Yasei and had two kids: Kibou and Mujitsu. Yasei is a very temperamental man-more so than you-and 'allegedly' beats Hoiku. However, there is no solid proof of this. So, if you really wanted to help Hoiku, you would find some way to get Yasei arrested or killed. But don't you dare think about doing that!" Yugoda said sternly.

"Oh, don't worry, Yugoda. I would NEVER do something as cruel and horrid as that," I said, with a wide smile, as ideas on how to kill Yasei flooded my brain.


	14. Initiation

Chapter 14: Initiation

After four hours of school following my job, I got home soon after dusk. My initiation into the Northern Water Tribe was in two days, and I had to be sure I past all the tests I would take tomorrow. While on the way home, many ideas on how to kill Yasei came into my mind. I could bloodbend the blood out of his body, give him a heart attack, stab him with my spears, etc. However, since coming here and working as a healer's aide, I had begun to think more rationally. Killing Yasei would probably have harsh repercussions on Kibou and Mujitsu. I'd also be the first suspect, considering I just moved here. Therefore, my plot would need to take place after the initiation ceremony and not have my name written all over it. However, that wasn't important now, so after some dinner, I sat on my couch and studied Water Nation history and such.

The next day, I didn't need to go to work. I headed street for the school and sat down to take my two hour exam. It was actually quite a challenge, since I'm sure I messed up some of the chiefs. After the exam, we were to sit outside the class in a small waiting room until we were given our results. An hour later, I was told I passed the exam and would not need to take any more classes. After a three hour rehearsal of the ceremony, I was finally released. Relieved, I headed to the farthest corner of the Tribe and practiced my waterbending. I had discovered this place a while ago; an iceberg that had floated from the ocean into a small cove. It was the perfect place to practice, since I was well shielded and had a decent amount of light.

That night, I got home quite early to write my speech. It would turn quite a few heads at the initiation ceremony, but I felt I needed to deliver it in order to be fully accepted. It was supposed to provide a history of my life and why I decided to come live here. However, I was sure to leave "unnecessary" parts out. Well, let's just say I exceeded expectations.

The next day, I headed to the palace to get ready for the ceremony. My hair was done, my face was washed, and I was given elegant clothes to wear. It was kind of odd dressing this fancy; it wasn't really my thing. Before dusk, people started coming to the outside of the palace, where my ceremony was to take place. I admit I was very nervous, especially since I had to deliver my speech, but right before the ceremony took place, a feeling came over me. I knew I had no choice but to go ahead with it, so I might as well do it.

I still remember everything perfectly. Around dusk, I entered the courtyard in front of the palace. Everyone in the whole tribe was there, seated in the audience, wanting to hear my history. Everyone who had asked about it, I denied saying they would learn at the ceremony. Master Pakku and his class were performing beautiful waterbending forms in back of us, while flutes hummed in the distance. I was led in by Chief Arnook, who would be leading the ceremony. My pale dress fluttered in the wind as I tightened my navy shawl. My high heels clicked as I walked on the ice, and my hair, up in a single bun, unlike my usual two, was tossed around in the wind. When I finally arrived at my seat, I sat down and watched as Chief Arnook and the rest of the government officials sat before me.

"We are gathered today to welcome a new person into our community…"

After Chief Arnook gave my introduction, I was called up to express some oaths to the Water Tribe.

"Hiuoko, do you swear to abide my Northern Water Tribe customs, politics, and law?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to be a hardworking citizen and defend your country in a time of need?"

"I do."

After a few more vows, I was sat down and clapped at. After the clapping ceased, I was taken to the pond where Master Pakku and students were performing. When I arrived, Master Pakku bent the water out of the pond while a few soldiers poured gallons of new water into the pond.

"Hiuoko, this pond has been filled with water from our sacred spirit oasis. By emerging yourself in the water, you will finally become a citizen of the Northern Water Tribe."

Arnook gently motioned me towards the water, as I stepped in and submerged. The water chilled me to the bone, yet I felt no pain. I felt more alive than ever and could feel the power of water rushing over my entire body. The moon and I seemed to be one for those few seconds. I had no desire to resurface, yet I knew I must and face the Northern Water Tribe, my home.

I finally emerged from the water to the sound of clapping and waterbenders immediately bending the water off me. Chief Arnook put the mark of the Northern Water Tribe on my face as the final seal to the initiation. He then announced that I would be giving a speech and asked everyone to be quiet. I approached the ice podium and set down my speech. I began to read it as my legs quaked.

"Thank you, fellow Water Tribe citizens for accepting me into your society. It is a great honor, and I promise to be a dutifully citizen. However, before this ceremony ends, I feel you should know why I came here and what my life was like before." I took a huge gulp and continued to speak.

"I was born in the Fire Nation capital city to a chief admiral and a Southern Water Tribe peasant."

"SO you are FIRE NATION!" someone from the crowd shouted as people's faces lit up with shock.

"No, I am from the Fire Nation, but that doesn't mean I am Fire Nation," I responded, having anticipated this response. "My mother was captured from the Southern Water Tribe and brought to the Fire Nation. My father took a liking to her and forced her to marry him. They had me as a child, and I grew up in the capital city. At age seven, I discovered I was a waterbender, and my mother taught me everything she knew, because in the Southern Water Tribe, the women can actually fight!" I said, looking at Muchi and Chief Arnook. "When my father learned of this, they got into a huge violent fight, and he told me he threw my mother in jail. He claimed to be stopping me from bending for my own good, but I still practiced. When I was fourteen, I went to go visit my mother. After sneaking into the prison, I learned my mother never went to prison; she was killed by my father. I decided to escape from the Fire Nation, since I couldn't take it anymore. I froze my dad in a block of ice and fled the city. After many layovers, I finally made it here, and I now stand before you today. Thank you for your time."

No one in the crowd said anything. They continued to stare at me, either marveling at what I had been through or cursing they had allowed a Fire Nation citizen into their society. After a few moments of quiet, someone began to clap; it was Kibou and her brother Mujitsu. Yasei quickly slapped their hands, but everyone had already begun to clap quite awkwardly. I descended from the podium when someone shouted, "It's a wonder you think you can waterbend. Your mother was from the Southern Water Tribe; she probably sucked ass at bending!"

Everyone in the crowd silenced, amazed by what this guy had said; it was Yasei. He had insulted my mother, and he would not get away with it.

"You think my mother sucked at bending? I could kick your preppy ass in waterbending any day of the week!" I responded viciously.

"You really think so? We're trained to fight the right way here. Our bending style doesn't incorporate helping weak women who can't defend themselves on the battlefield. If your mum was so good, why was she captured?"

"Do you really believe that?" I asked him, raising my voice, accumulating water from the ground. "My mom could do things with water you couldn't even dream of. If you really think you're so much better than me, we'll go right now. Hey, I'm just some defenseless women who would probably die in a second of your excellent waterbending prowess So, come on and fight me!"

"Umm, Hiuoko. Women, as you know, don't fight here," Chief Arnook told me. "You're going to have to take that back."

"Nah, I don't want everyone to see you begging for mercy," Yasei replied.

"I said, COME AND FIGHT ME!" I cried, ignoring Chief Arnook's comment. I threw the water onto Yasei, froze it, and bent him and the iceberg over to me, smashing it on the ground.

"Why you little bi- he shouted, running at me with a water whip above his head. I simply froze his feet to the ground and watched as he fell. I then shot a high pressure water stream at him, knocking him back. Before I could do anything else, my hands were restrained by two top benders, and I was told to stop moving.

"HE INSULTED MY MOTHER!" I shouted, as the guards drove me into the palace. Master Pakku followed close behind, and once we were in the palace, he said he wanted a word with me. The guards left, and I was alone with Pakku.

"Hiuoko, while I do admire your waterbending prowess, it has been made clear to you several times that women are forbidden to use waterbending in an offensive way. Now, I know Yasei insulted your mother, but that is no excuse to go berserk on him. However, seeing how today is your initiation day and the fact that you've been through a lot and are an emotionally unstable girl, I'll excuse this outburst. However, should you do anything like this again, you will be jailed for a month. If you further refuse to obey, you will be exiled. Do you understand me?" Pakku said, staring into my eyes.

"Yes, I do," I sighed, as Pakku walked away. He then snapped his fingers and two of his students came to my side, took my arms, and began to walk me home.

As we walked, I began to think of Yasei and how I abhorred him. How could he treat me, a fifteen year old girl, like trash? I remembered my previous plans to have him arrested, and decided that instead of arresting him, he would be exiled. Thus began my year-long plan to have Yasei exiled from the Northern Water Tribe.


	15. Death in Late Evening

Chapter 15: Death in Late Evening

After my initiation, everything settled down on the surface. I went back to aiding Yugoda and soon got to teach my own class. I saved enough money to buy my current house located near the canal locks. I was much more respected after my speech, mainly because people felt bad for me and sorry after what Yasei had said. He had been taxed a little more heavily because of his comment, but not much else happened. He was never popular in the first place, so he didn't have many friends to lose. However, I never forgot what he said to me, and for that I made sure he paid. Hoiku and I also began to see a lot more of each other, since we would chat after Kibou's healing lesson. Even though I never broke a single law or stepped out of place (aside from bending privately in my house), I had planning for a whole year on how to rid my life of Yasei. I had come to the conclusion that killing him would dramatically impact Kibou and Mujitsu, so I came up with a plan to exile him. However, something happened that caused me to rethink my plans.

The day before it happened, I had seen Hoiku in the town square purchasing some fruits and vegetables. Her face seemed incredibly sore, and her eye was quite black. "What happened?" I asked her.

"Yasei and I got into a fight. I finally told him what I thought about him lashing out against you and defended your waterbending skills. You can imagine what he thought of that. I'm still sore, but I managed to heal most of the injuries," Hoiku said, massaging her face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I responded, hugging her. "Do you need me to teach him a lesson?"

"Nope, I believe it's my responsibility to do that. Listen, Hiuoko, you've been a great friend to me, and I appreciate it greatly that you defended me. So, I just want to say thank you. Now, take this," she said, tears dripping down her face, as she stuffed a letter into my coat pocket. "But DON'T read it until the moon is at its brightest, okay."

"I understand, Hoiku, I won't."

"Alright then, I'll see you soon," she responded, walking away.

Holding true to my promise, I waited until the moon was full in order to read the letter. Anxiously, I held it in my hands, wondering what the letter could say. Finally, the moon became full, and I unrolled the parchment and began to read.

_I have decided to take matters in my own hands. If you are reading this letter when I have told you to, I will no longer be in the Northern Water Tribe. I have decided to run away and take Kibou and Mujitsu with me. We are headed to the city of Omashu and hope to return soon, when Yasei is taken care of. I know you well and have probably been contemplating killing Yasei. Well, you have my permission to do so. I will be back in a year's time, and I hope to find Yasei gone. You are the only one who knows of this letter, so after reading it thoroughly, you are to destroy its contents; not just get rid of or hide, destroy. You are a great person, and I hope to see you soon._

I dropped the letter onto the floor once I finished reading it. Yasei had forced his own wife and children to leave the Northern Water Tribe; he really was a horrible person. However, with Hoiku's permission, I was free to kill Yasei. After pouring steaming hot water over the letter, I formulated a plan and waited for the next full moon accompanied by a snow storm.

Finally, the night came about three months later. I remember everything that happened on that night in perfect detail. After the full moon become fully present and the storm began to get strong, I donned a pure cloak and thick white make-up. Putting my sais in their holsters on my pants, I snuck out of my house. Since snow was flying around everywhere, I bent it to camouflage me; since it was a storm, this looked perfectly normal. I jumped on the roof of my house and then, making ice bridges (I was sure to eradicate the ice bridges once I was done walking), I walked from roof to roof until I came to Yasei's house. Ever since Hoiku left with the children, Yasei took their belongings and held regular unruly parties there. Everyone wondered where they had gone, but I kept my mouth shut.

When I finally arrived on the roof of Yasei's house, I jumped off and cushioned my fall with a pile of snow. I approached the window in front of Yasei's room and began to bloodbend him. He got up, and like a puppet, had no control. I made sure to keep his mouth shut, so he couldn't make any nose. After he exited the house, I closed the door and ran towards him. I motioned him towards the canal and then, attaching my feet to the ice, I slid down quietly into the canal. I then forced Yasei to jump into the canal. In midair, I caught him in a big ball of water and motioned him gently down into the water. Once in the canal, I froze the water underneath us so that we stood on an ice float. Then, I took out my sais and stabbed Yasei in the heart, back, and stomach, killing him right there on the ice. Once I was sure he was dead, I sped up the speed of the water and kept it going downstream towards the gates. Once at the gates, I submerged Yasei and I and bent us under the gates until we were outside of the Northern Water Tribe. The water was extremely cold, but I only stayed underwater for about 5 seconds. Then, once we were outside the city, I froze the body in a block of ice and, building up a wave, a sent the body away from the Water Tribe. Once far enough way, I then submerged it under water, letting it rest there for the rest of time.

After the deed was done, I submerged under water and swam back into the Northern Water Tribe. Once back inside, I bent the water upstream towards my house. Once there, I climbed out of the canal and came back into my house. I bent all the water and make-up off me and changed my clothes. I then climbed into bed and fell asleep with a smile on my face.


	16. Karma

Chapter 16: Karma

The next day, I got up extra early having been unable to sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I would see someone laugh as they erupted in fire. I couldn't make out who it was, but it pained me to see it. After pouring some cold water on my face, I made my bed and got ready to go to work. I arrived at the healing hut to see Yugoda standing outside intently staring at me. I smiled at her but was taken aback by her question. "Where were you last night, Hiuoko?"

"Uh, umm," I muttered, as sweat began to appear on my face, "I was at home sleeping. It was way too brutal outside to even step foot out of the house." I wiped my face and gave a chuckle.

"Is your house okay?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Why?" I responded, as my face began to flush.

"Oh that's good. I had heard from someone that people's houses had been damaged in the storm, and I just wanted to make sure you and your house were okay," Yugoda responded.

"Really, that's interesting," I replied, quite relieved. "Whose houses had been demolished?"

"I'm really not all that sure. But I know Yasei's really took a beating. Serves him right too; well, that's karma for you," Yugoda said, sighing.

"Karma, oh I don't believe in that," I responded. "I never really had an experience with karma. My dad tried to kill me, and nothing's happened to him."

"Don't worry my dear," Yugoda said, putting her hand on my shoulder, "karma will find a way to punish him; karma knows no exceptions."

After that spiritual conversation, we headed back inside the healing hut to start the lesson. About halfway through, a loud knock rang throughout the hut. Yugoda got up and answered the door; a large tall man entered the hut, barely fitting through the door.

"Have any of you seen THIS man?" the large man said, unfolding a scroll with Yasei's face on it.

"NO!" I exclaimed, as the sweat appeared on my face again. I then took a moment to organize my thoughts. "Well, I haven't seen him since yesterday morning."

"Nope, I haven't seen him," said Yugoda, staring at the scroll. "Why do you ask? Is he wanted for a crime?"

"No, he is currently missing from the village. No one has seen or heard from him since yesterday afternoon. If you hear anything, please notify the Northern Water Tribe Chief Justice Enforcer," the man said, curling up the paper. He then slammed the door shut and left the hut.

"Wow, I guess karma is quite hard at work," Yugoda said, heading back to the children.

"Yeah, I guess so," I responded, thinking about the events of last night. They already know he's missing. How fast before they know he was murdered? Will they suspect me? Did I cover up all the evidence? Will they honestly expect a fifteen year old girl to have the ability to kill a middle-aged wife beater? Trying to suppress these thoughts, I went back to the class and demonstrated the proper way to heal, ironically, a stabbing.

For the next few days, these thoughts kept popping into my mind. The day before, I had seen just the tiniest tint of red in the water. I immediately whooshed the water down river, forgetting I couldn't bend in public. [Though later, I realized it was probably a reflection from the sun Everywhere I looked, I saw what I thought could be evidence of a murder. Why was I experiencing this? I had never gone through this after killing my share of Fire Nation soldiers, so why was this happening to me now?

The next day, I could barely get out of bed. I felt warm and had a mild headache. Nevertheless, I got up from bed and went to the hut. Yugoda must have noticed something was wrong, since she asked if I was feeling okay. Nodding my head, I proceeded into the hut. As soon as the girls came into the hut, a loud booming sound pierced my ears. All the girls immediately lined up, as Yugoda led them out of the hut. Running after them, I asked Yugoda what was happening.

"It's the royal drums. Whenever they are struck, everyone is to meet in the village square. Something serious must have happened," she replied while briskly marching with the girls towards the square.

My heart almost came out of my throat. They caught me, I thought. They knew he was murdered. They figured out all the details. I was going to be deported from here; even worse, I was going to be killed. After all I had worked for, my life is going to end here of all places. Why had I killed him? Why was I so violent? These thoughts stuck with me as I walked the girls to the town square. The law enforcers were lined up in a straight horizontal line and Chief Arnook stood atop a tall pillar of ice. After a few more minutes, he began to speak.

"Fellow citizens of the Water Tribe, I bring you some startling and upsetting news. Yasei went missing last night during the snow storm." Everyone in the crowd began murmuring and muttering to each other, while sweat began to pour down my face. My stomach flipped and my heart leaped; my face turned bright red. "Although we are yet to find him or any evidence of where he went, it is not our top priority. Our top priority is defending our village. Fire Nation ships have been noticed not too far off our shore. They were only messenger ships so it should be of no concern, but the Fire Nation has been reacting rather destructively lately. For instance, last week, they destroyed their own village of Jang Hui, a small fishing village. Many men were killed, and the women, children, and the surviving men were taken prisoner. A similar occurrence happened at Makapu; however, no one was there when the Fire Nation arrived and the village was burned down. We are unsure as to why this has been happening, but we are best to remain on our toes. If you see or hear anything, please report it to any soldier of law enforcer. That will be all."

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Thankfully, they hadn't yet figured out Yasei had been murdered. However, the decimations of Makapu and Jang Hui struck me deeply, as if a knife was piercing my heart. I knew the Fire Nation was looking for me, since I had stayed at those two villages. Everyone at Makapu had survived, but only because of Aunt Wu. I guess she really could predict the future. But they had lost their whole village: all their possessions, money, homes. The Fire Nation wouldn't have known I was there if I didn't attack those two guards. The village wouldn't be in ashes now if it wasn't for me.

I then thought of Jang Hui, as I felt the knife dig deeper in my heart. All those men killed; all those people captured. It was my fault; I was the one who almost killed those two admirals. I had given my name and told them I was there. My pride had destroyed that village. No, it wasn't my pride; it was my violent nature. If I hadn't assaulted those guards, if I had only kept my mouth quiet, things might be different. NENGORO MIGHT NOT BE LOCKED UP, AWAY FROM HIS MOTHER AND FATHER. All those men wouldn't have DIED if I had kept quiet!

After the meeting, I sulked back to my house. I needed a good rest to ease my mind. Before I fell asleep, I heard Yugoda's voice inside my head. "Karma knows no exceptions." With that, I broke down into tears and cried myself to sleep, where those horrid dreams of a man in fire haunted me as I slept.


	17. A New Friend

Chapter 17: A New Friend

The next day, I got up extremely early and went to the hot springs to bathe nice and early. These are centered right off of the central part of the village; a large bathhouse houses the springs. After washing myself, I stayed in the warm spring for a while, just thinking about yesterday's events and really questioning my character. Slowly, I bent the steam around me, since there was no one else in the bathhouse. It was quite soothing to just lie in the hot spring and let all your thoughts float about. I decided that from then on, I would stop being violent. Well, maybe I couldn't suppress that whole side of me, but I would stop taking my hatred of the Fire Nation out on my fellow people who accepted me into their village. There was no need to keep my hatred of the Fire Nation out in the open, since it wasn't necessary; they were out of my life for good. Or, so I thought.

After that period of thought, I dried myself and went back home to get ready for my job. I realized when I got home that I was almost late for work. So, I immediately grabbed my belongings and rushed out the door towards the healing hut. I even bent the snow to move me even faster; however, the Chief was apparently having a royal procession through the town that day to celebrate his daughter's birthday. So, go figure, a minute away from the hut, I charged right into one of the men holding the girl's seat in the air. He lost his grip and knocked into one of the other "throne bearers" who also lost his grip. The "throne" fell and the girl came crashing down onto the floor.

"Quick, check her pulse and make sure she's okay!" one of the bearers shouted as a bunch of soldiers rushed to her.

"Move aside boys," I said, gently pushing them to the side. "I'm a trained healer, so let me make sure she's all right." I pulled some water from the ground and placed it on the girl's arm. "She's all right. Only a few cuts bruises but nothing too serious."

"Well that's good for you. Now, you will only be charged with injuring a member of the governing family instead of severely wounding. You're coming with us!" the soldier said, grabbing my arm.

"No, she's not," the girl said, standing up. "This young girl was obviously in a hurry to get somewhere and meant no harm to me. She also took the time to make sure I was okay, and for that, I refuse you to charge her with any crime."

"Wow, thanks so much," I told her, running up to her and giving her a hug. "I'm Hiuoko by the way. Sorry for ruining your birthday procession."

"Don't worry," the girl said, chuckling, "it's quite all right. My name is Yue, daughter of Chief Arnook. It's nice to meet you, Hiuoko."

"Same to you," I replied. "So, it's your birthday today, huh. How old are you?"

"Well, today I'm turning fifteen," Yue responded, smiling. She then began to frown. "And to think in one year, I'll have to marry."

"Really, wow and from what I learned you can't even choose to whom. I turned fifteen a few months ago. However, I have no intention of marrying when I'm sixteen. I intend to wait until I find someone who I like and who likes me until I marry."

"You're not from around here, are you?" Yue asked me.

"You obviously weren't at my initiation ceremony."

"Oh, darn me," Yue said, slapping her forehead, laughing, "now I remember. You're the girl from the Fire Nation. Your story really moved me, and I'm sorry about your whole feud with that guy. But, he's gone now so I guess we can all move on."

"Yeah, I guess," I responded. "You know, I better let you continue your birthday celebration. I'll see you around, Yue."

"Wait," Yue shouted at me. "Why don't you come with me around the town for my birthday celebration? It's the least I could do after you healed me. Plus, you seem like you'd make a good friend."

"Sure, why not? Sounds like fun," I replied, greatly enthused that I was going to be royalty for a day.

I got home from Yue's home way after sunset. I showed her some waterbending moves in secret which really impressed her, and then we tried on some of her regal attire. I have to admit, it was fun wearing those regal and elegant gowns; even though I grew up in a wealthy home, I never really indulged in it. And now, when I've got nothing, I'm trying on fine clothing. How ironic!

Yue and I became good friends after that. It took quite a lot of convincing to get Chief Arnook to allow a peasant like me to be friends with Yue. But, Yue vouched for me. I often stayed there and hung out with her; she was one of my only good friends at the Northern Water Tribe. Well, at least, she was.


	18. The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 18: The Calm Before the Storm

After meeting Yue, I finally thought my life had settled down. I thought that all my troubles were over, and I could finally live a peaceful life. Within a year, I advanced from teacher's assistant to teacher's aide at the healing school; Yugoda was quite pleased at this, since she didn't have to work every day now. I had been sixteen when I met Yue, not fifteen as I previously mentioned. Well, when you turn sixteen in the Northern Water Tribe, you become betrothed to another male in the village. Seeing no way around this, I decided to just accept it. I was paired up with Onaji, a seventeen year old soldier. I don't think I could've been married to a better man. He had no problem with me bending inside the house, as long as I didn't do it outside. He was calm, peaceful, and compassionate, never having yelled at me once. However, it's not too say he was perfect. He, like me, wasn't a very rich man at all and, unlike me, wasn't the most amazing bender.

After the wedding, he moved in with me, since his house wasn't much better. He was especially surprised to find out I was good friends with Yue, even though she was a year younger than me. They met each other a few times, and she was very pleased with him and vice versa. Onaji loved to go visit the royal palace, since it was such a far step above our current house. He didn't get to go much though since being a soldier required a lot of work. Since he couldn't bend amazingly, he was in the front line and fought with spears and swords. Everything was status quo, maybe even a bit better. Well, let me tell you, things really sped up on my seventeenth birthday. My whole life was once again flipped upside down.

I didn't really do much for my seventeenth birthday. Onaji and I had a nice dinner at the royal palace, thanks to Yue. Yue got me a new fur coat while Onaji gave me a beautiful necklace. However, most of my birthday celebrations were drowned out by the arrival of the Avatar and friends. Apparently, a little bit after sunrise, the Avatar and friends were spotted by some of the soldiers and were immediately greeted by everyone in town. (Before I get too confusing, the Avatar didn't arrive on my birthday; he arrived about three days before.) Well, as you can imagine, the town went WILD! Chief Arnook and Master Pakku immediately set up an elaborate event to celebrate the Avatar's arrival. Yue sat next to the Avatar's male friend, who she seemed to casually flirt with, even though she was engaged to Hahn.

I was quite surprised to see the Avatar in person. I had never really heard about him in the Fire Nation, but from the few snippets I gathered, he was supposed to be this master bender of all elements who was going to kill the glory of the Fire Nation. Well, I couldn't see this little kid doing that. He looked about thirteen and was apparently an airbender. I had never seen an airbender in person, though I don't think many people have. He seemed like a nice and goofy kid; for some reason, he didn't strike me as being a master bender of all four elements. I expressed this to Onaji, to which he casually replied, "Well of course not. He was thought to have vanished for 100 years but just recently appeared again. Rumor has it that he can only bend air, and he needs to master the other three before he defeats the Firelord."

"You know, I should teach the Avatar waterbending," I said sarcastically.

"Yeah, you'd probably make a much better teacher than Pakku. You're lucky you never had him. If you're not a prodigy, you might as well give up," he replied laughing.

"True, my mom sounds like she was a much better teacher than him. She even knew how to bloodbend, something I'm sure he couldn't do."

"Bloodbending? I never heard of that before," Onaji said with a look of curiosity on his face.

"Oh, never mind that. I'll explain it to you later," I responded while kissing his cheek. Onaji really brought out the best in me, and I'm so happy he was picked to be my spouse. Unfortunately, Yue didn't have the same luck as I did. Apparently, Hahn was happier about marrying royalty than marrying Yue.

After the ceremony, Onaji and I went to go say hi to Yue. We had been sitting in the audience, since only the highest members of society could sit in the front, and we certainly didn't touch the top of that barrel. I asked Yue about the boy she met, to which she responded, "Oh Sokka, he's a real charmer. I hope to see him again."

Onaji and I returned home and went straight to bed. It had been a long day, and the ceremony lasted pretty late. I just wish I had enjoyed the day even more, especially since it was one of the last times I saw Yue.


	19. Farewell

Chapter 19: Farewell

After the ceremony, things began to quiet down. Master Pakku started teaching Aang, as WELL as his FEMALE companion! What nepotism! I was tortured when I waterbended in public, and now this girl is taking LESSONS! That's totally not fair. Oh, well, I'm sure I'm a better waterbender than her anyway. Onaji could probably beat her. Speaking of him, he was a lot busier than usual during those two weeks. He was always at training sessions and military drills, which surprised me, since I didn't think the Northern Water Tribe knew of any attack. Oh well, not like they'd tell us anyway.

Yue had also been acting quite uneasily. One day, while she wasn't with her boyfriend, I took her to that special alcove I found near the outskirts of the city where I practiced bending. It was great to just talk with her and know I could trust her. I figured I might as well see how her love life was going.

"So, Yue, how's Sokka doing?" I asked smiling.

"Oh, he's good. But it's pretty complicated," she responded, with an unhappy face.

"Really, we have time. What's the problem?" I inquired.

"Well, you know I'm engaged right. Thing is, I don't really like Hahn at all; Sokka's the one I like. But, I feel like that if I see him, I'll be cheating on Hahn, even if we aren't doing anything," Yue responded, while on the verge of tears.

"First problem," I began to say while bending the tears off Yue's face, "is that you're way too sensitive. You don't need to cry at every little thing. We've all got problems in life. Heck, I've had my share of them. Have I ever cried? Of course I have, plenty of times. But most of the time, you just have to suck it all up and continue on, because the world won't stop when you cry. All that aside, what would I advise you to do? Have your fun with Sokka now, since he'll probably be leaving in a few weeks. You're not even married to Hahn yet."

"You know, I'm not sure that's the best advice," Yue responded smiling.

"Yeah, but at least it got you to smile." We continued to talk for a good deal of time, while I showed Yue my new waterbending move. I had tried to mimic it off Master Pakku's water spout, but I don't think it was as good as his.

I woke up the next morning to the sun pounding through my window. I rose from bed and got changed and ready for the day. For some reason, I had a strong urge to take a bath, so I whispered to Onaji what I was doing, as he was still asleep. The bath house was pretty empty, so I picked my spot in one of the corners in the large bath. I tried practicing the water spout while washing, but I guess I couldn't do it to the best of my ability since I knew I could be seen. The water was unusually cold that day, and I had to heat the water to keep it lukewarm. After the warm bath, I returned home to grab something to eat and gather my healing scrolls. Onaji was sitting at the ice table having some warm tea. I approached him and kissed him on the cheek, to which he replied "Morning to you too."

"Do you have another drill today?" I asked him while I stirred my noodles.

"Yeah, I got to be in even earlier today, since we're running some new drills. Actually, I have to leave in a minute," he replied sighing.

"Wow, what a day! Hope everything goes well. Well, I'm going to head to the healing hut a little earlier to lay out the models. We're practicing healing large wounds," I said packing up my things.

"Oh, sounds like fun. Well you have a nice day," he said as he pecked my lips.

"Same to you. Love you!" I replied grinning ear to ear. I really didn't like saying "love" too much since I wasn't the mushy type, but today I knew was going to be different. How right I was.

Yugoda was already at the healing hut when I arrived. She had been preparing the models which we would use in class today. I greeted her hello to which she halfheartedly responded.

"Sorry, I'm just not feeling great today. I've got a chill in my bones," she said sighing.

"Oh, okay. If I can do anything, let me know," I responded while bending some seats for the girls. My students arrived right on time, and we went straight into healing wounds. I showed them a few pressure points which were essential to the healing process. We were just wrapping up the lesson, when a large boom broke the tranquility.

"Oh no," I said as a chill crept up my arm. I had only heard that boom one other time, when Fire Nation ships had been spotted outside the Tribe. Yugoda and I ushered the children to the town meeting place and kept close watch over them. Chief Arnook soon emerged with Master Pakku at his side along with all the other town officials. Black soot stained the ground.

"Fellow tribesmen, the day we have feared for so long has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our waters and is nearing in quickly. Everyone is urged to stay inside and move away from the outer walls, as there will most likely be much damage. Men, who are not soldiers, stay with your wives and children. Hopefully, this will all be over soon."

My face went pale. I had thought that I finally found an escape from the Fire Nation, when in reality, I had only dodged them. They finally entered my life again. However, I did not have time to think, I needed to make sure Yue and Onaji were okay. I saw Yue on the front steps of the citadel with Sokka. After he entered the citadel, I called out her name and ran to her. I grabbed her arms and hugged her while she cried on my shoulder.

"Everything will be all right Yue. It'll all be over soon. In case I don't see you for a while, just know that you are an amazing friend and are like a sister to me," I said holding Yue.

"S-s-ame to you," she responded while heaving in between words. Onaji was nowhere in sight. The soldiers were already in the citadel and I wasn't going to be able to get in. Knowing this, I ran home and put all my personal belongings in a bag, the one I had used as a traveler. I placed my sais in their holsters, since I had a feeling they would come in handy. Taking one last look at the house, I left my house and proceeded to the healing hut, which was near the center of the tribe. As I left my house, I heard screams erupt from the front wall. A big fireball was lodged in the middle of the wall with men lying atop of it. The invasion had begun.


	20. Panic and Chaos

Chapter 20: Panic and Chaos

As soon as I heard the screams and saw the fireball, I immediately began to run to the hut. To move even faster, I bent the snow underneath me to propel me along. I didn't care that I couldn't bend in public; we were in a state of attack, and I didn't think Chief Arnook would care if he saw me. People on the streets were screaming and yelling. Many were running aimlessly, not knowing what to do. I kept screaming, "STAY INSIDE!" or "GET AWAY FROM THE WALLS!" hoping people would listen. One little girl was crying on the side of an ice road. I slowed down and asked her if she was okay.

"I lost my mommy!" the girl cried while holding a little doll in her hand.

"It's okay," I said, trying to calm her down. "Why don't you come with me and we'll try to find her." After she nodded, I grabbed the girl and held her in my arms while I bent my way to the healing hut.

After what seemed like forever, we made it to the healing center. Many people were in this area, as it was a good distance from the walls. Some were trying to bend ice defenses around their houses, yet not many of the women were advanced enough. There were virtually no men in the crowd aside from elders; everyone else was preparing to fight or already fighting. I asked the little girl for her name, to which she replied Uta. After calling out her name a bit, her mother finally arrived. "Thank you so much for finding my daughter," she said as she threw her arms around me. I said it was no problem.

Once Uta had found her mom, I looked towards the outer walls to see how things were going. Many fireballs had dented the outer wall, and many bodies lay atop it. I wondered if Onaji's body was one of those. Thankfully, we had still been able to hold the Fire Nation off. Suddenly, I saw the Avatar on his bison fly towards the Fire Nation ships, which brought me and the other people much hope. However, I still knew it was going to be a long day.

After analyzing the damage, I went into the hut to find Yugoda. Not many people were in here, but Yugoda and some little girls and their mothers were inside. I approached them and hugged Yugoda.

"Oh, Hiuoko," she said squeezing my back, "what are we going to do. Shouldn't we be healing soldiers on the battlefield. That's what we should be doing as long as the soldiers don't penetrate the walls."

"Yugoda, you're too old to be running into battle. I'll run over and try to do what I can. But you need to do me a favor as well. You need to tell this people to get inside and barricade the doors. They can't come out no matter what. Tell them to stay there until the fighting has stopped. I'll be back later to help with the barricading," I instructed. Yugoda nodded and I hopped into the canal and bent my way towards the outer wall.

When I reached the bottom of the outer wall, I needed to find a quick way to the top, since I would have to backtrack to run up. So, I began to try the water spout except only using it on me. I propelled myself with great speed to the top of the wall, but unfortunately came down hard. Some of the soldiers looked at me and were shocked to see a woman in the line of fire. Instead of looking at them, I stared out at the sea. Hundreds of Fire Nation ships were on our waters, and many were firing large fire chunks at us. To stop the fireballs, the waterbenders were erecting spontaneous walls of ice to stop the fire or sending snow at it and freezing it. When the next one came, I tried my own method. I reverted the snow back to water and shot a high pressure beam of water right at the center of the fireball. The ball exploded and little shards of rock. Some soldiers condemned me for defending, but I decided that now wasn't the best time to pick a fight.

After destroying a few more balls of fire, I remembered that I was here to heal not fight. I scanned my immediate vicinity for injured soldiers; I spied two. One had his leg severely twisted and the other lay down with blood flowing from his arm. Deciding that the second shoulder had a slimmer chance of living if I didn't help him, I ran over to him. I took out some cloth I had on me and wrapped his arm in it. I then put my hands on his arm and began to heal. I decided it best not to heal all the way, since that would take a considerable amount of time. So, when I was finished, I offered to take him to safety which he starkly refused. Therefore, I moved over to the second man. His leg was severely bent out of shape, and I did the best I could to move it back. However, as hard as I tried, healing can't fix everything, and he would probably need to be amputated. The sad thing was that he was only about nineteen years old, and he had already lost use of his leg.

Once I finished up on him, I proceeded to heal a few more soldiers, but there were too many to heal, and many were beyond healing anyway. I decided instead to try and stop the cause of the harm instead of healing the victims. It was a daring move, but using waterbending, I slid down the front of the wall, carved an ice raft, and propelled my way into battle. Now this may seem stupid, but at this point, many ships were still firing long range towards the wall, so the chances of me being hit were slim to none. I also didn't head straight for the center ship with the commander leading the assault, since I knew another team was probably on it; I wouldn't want to interfere. So, I veered to the left and propelled myself aboard a ship.

Once aboard the ship, the soldiers began to charge at me. As soon as I saw their faces, horrible memories came back to me. I remembered being a prisoner of the Fire Nation and locked on boats and whatnot. I saw my father's face on them laughing maniacally. For a second, I forgot most of my morals and the fact that I could waterbend and lunged at them with my sais. I slashed one guy in the back of his uniform and kicked another guy off the boat. It didn't take me long to realize that my sais would do nothing against these uniforms and regained my senses. Gathering water from the ocean, I whipped two soldiers with the water whip and froze the other two in place. With the all the soldiers temporarily down, I hopped off the boat and onto my raft. I then closed my eyes and began to concentrate, for this was an advanced move. I pulled some water up into the air, froze it, and sent it flying into the side of the ship. I did this a few more times until a leak appeared. When water began to fill the boat, I sped away on my raft. That had been a surprisingly tiring affair and only could do it one more time. Instead, to save a little more energy, I just knocked everyone off the boat with a huge wave to save the trouble of having to sink it.

After eliminating the crew on the second boat, I sped back to the mainland on my makeshift raft. To my horror, instead of a fireball denting the outer wall, of which there were still many, a ship had now joined them. Water spouting myself to the top of the wall, I landed and looked towards the city. Soldiers and tanks were mowing through the streets, taking down soldiers and people. I needed to get back to the healing hut immediately, and I didn't have much time. Without me there, the women and children would be sitting ducks about to be roasted.


End file.
